ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Prime Minister's Office
PM dedicates Chenani-Nashri Tunnel to the Nation; addresses public meeting in Udhampur
PM dedicates Chenani-Nashri Tunnel to the Nation; addresses public meeting in Udhampur
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi today dedicated India’s longest road tunnel, the 9 kilometre long Chenani-Nashri Tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir, to the nation.
The Prime Minister travelled the entire length of the tunnel, and was briefed on some of its key features.
Addressing a public meeting in Udhampur, the Prime Minister said that the tunnel is world-class, and matches the best standards. He said the tunnel is environment-friendly and will help in the fight against global warming. He said that while some misguided youngsters were pelting stones, the youth of Kashmir were cutting stones to create infrastructure. He said the tunnel would also boost tourism, which will bring economic growth.
The Prime Minister said that violence and terrorism can never help anyone. He thanked the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Ms. Mehbooba Mufti, and said that work had begun on the package that the Union Government had announced for the State.
Recalling the vision and work of former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Prime Minister said that the Union Government's sole mantra is development, and this could be achieved through people’s participation.
Prime Minister's Office
Goa Chief Minister calls on the Prime Minister
Chief Minister of Goa Dr Pramod Sawant called on the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi in New Delhi today.
The Prime Minister Office tweeted :
"The CM of Goa @DrPramodPSawant called on PM @narendramodi."
Election Commission
Clarification regarding bye-elections
This is with reference to letter No.99/bye-election/2020/EPS dated 22.7.2020 issued by Shri Sumit Mukherjee, Sr. Pr. Secretary in the Commission. This is causing some confusion in some sections of media. It is hereby clarified that the aforesaid communication is only in respect of eight constituencies regarding which a reference to Ministry of Law & Justice was made vide letter No. 99/bye-election/2020/EPS dated 03.7.2020 due to some extraordinary circumstances peculiar to these constituencies. However, the total number of bye-elections dueis 56 Assembly Constituencies  besides one Parliamentary Constituency. Out of these total number of 57 bye-elections, it is hereby clarified that the Commission has already taken a decision to hold all bye-election as per provisions of Section 151A of the R.P. Act, 1951. In any case the deferring of aforementioned eight bye-elections is only up to 7th September, 2020. This matter of timing etc. of bye-elections is also slotted for discussion in the Election Commission Meeting to be held tomorrow, i.e., 24.7.2020.
Prime Minister's Office
PM condoles the passing away of noted Hockey player Shri Charanjit Singh
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed deep grief over the passing away of noted Hockey player Shri Charanjit Singh.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;
"Saddened by the passing away of noted Hockey player, Shri Charanjit Singh. He played a key role in the successes of the Indian Hockey Team, most notably in the Rome and Tokyo Olympics in the 1960’s. Condolences to his family and friends. Om Shanti."
Prime Minister's Office
PM to visit Balrampur, UP on 11th December and inaugurate the Saryu Nahar National Project
Project lying pending for nearly four decades completed in four years
Completion of project a result of PM’s vision to prioritise long pending projects of national importance and his commitment towards farmer welfare and empowerment
Project will provide assured water for irrigation of over 14 lakh hectares of land and benefit about 29 lakh farmers of over 6200 villages of Eastern UP
Farmers will now be able to maximise agri-potential of the region
Project also involves interlinking of five rivers - Ghaghara, Saryu, Rapti, Banganga and Rohini
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will visit Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh and inaugurate the Saryu Nahar National Project on 11th December at around 1 PM.
The work on the project started in 1978 but due to lack of continuity of budgetary support, interdepartmental coordination and adequate monitoring, it got delayed and was not completed even after nearly four decades. Prime Minister’s vision for farmer welfare and empowerment, and his commitment to prioritise long pending projects of national importance, brought much needed focus on the project. Consequently in 2016, the project was brought under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana with the target to complete it in a time bound manner. In this endeavour, innovative solutions were found for new land acquisition to construct new canals and fill the critical gaps in the project, and also for resolving the pending litigation related to the previous land acquisitions. The renewed focus on the project has resulted in the project being completed in only about four years.
The Saryu Nahar National Project has been built with a total cost of more than Rs. 9800 crore, out of which more than Rs 4600 crore was provisioned in the last four years. The project also involves interlinking of five rivers - Ghaghara, Saryu, Rapti, Banganga and Rohini to ensure optimum usage of water resources of the region.
The project will provide assured water for irrigation of over 14 lakh hectares of land and benefit about 29 lakh farmers of over 6200 villages. It will benefit nine districts of Eastern Uttar Pradesh namely - Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur, Gonda, Siddharthnagar, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Gorakhpur and Maharajganj. The farmers of the region, who were the worst sufferers of the inordinate delay in the project, will now immensely benefit from the upgraded irrigation potential. They will now be able to grow crops on a larger scale and maximise the agri-potential of the region.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Gadkari sets road construction target for next two years at Rs 15 lakh crore
Minister directs officers to finalise auto scrapping policy quickly
Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and MSMEs Shri Nitin Gadkari today held meeting via video conferencing with the members of SIAM Institute on impact of COVID-19 on auto sector. It was attended by MoS Gen  V K Singh, Secretary RTH Shri Giridhar Aramane, and senior officers of MoRTH.
During this interaction, members expressed concerns regarding various challenges being faced by industry amid COVID-19 pandemic along with few suggestions and requested support from the government to keep the sector afloat.
Shri Gadkari suggested to focus on enhancing liquidity in business, as ups and downs are common. He added that one need to plan for bad times while working for growth. Shri Gadkari also said that industry should focus more on innovation, technology and research skill to become competitive in global market. He informed that he has set a target of constructing roads worth Rs 15 lakh crore in the next two years. He said, his ministry is working overtime to clear all arbitration cases with concessionaires.
Shri Gadkari responded to the questions from representatives and assured all possible help from the government. He informed that he would take up the issues at the approprite level in the govt and other departments.
The Minister informed that he has directed the ministry officials to finalise the auto scrapping policy quickly, and said, it will go a long way in cost reduction. He also suggested exploring cheaper credits including foreign capital for enhancing liquidity in the automobile manufacturing sector.
On the question of BS4 vehicles, he said, the govvernment is bound by SC verdict on the same. However, on industry suggestion, he will get the matter examined afresh. Regarding relaxations sought on other regulations, Shri Gadkari stated that he will endeavour to provide relief wherever possible where industry is seeking extension of time.
Special Service and Features
Fire safety & rescue skill training for NIT-T students
19.11.2022, the NIT-Tiruchirapalli Security Department along with the Dean  in collaboration with Tamilnadu State Fire Department organized fire safety training & skills to the first year students such as recognizing hazards, being able to complete a fire risk assessment, taking action in preventing fires, and lastly understanding how to respond in the case of an emergency, Learning about fire hazards and preventing the fire from occurring. Basic Training was provided in Risk assessment, recognizing fire hazards, Emergency exits and routes
•Active and passive fire protection systems
•Safe storage/removal of dangerous substances
•Firefighting equipment like extinguishers
•Evacuation plan
•Clear communication with others about fire hazards
•Staff fire safety training
•How to help those who are more vulnerable than others
Students were taught how to respond to a fire with a clear understanding of protocol in emergency situations so students will be sufficiently prepared to fight the fire or get out safely and efficiently.
Department of Atomic Energy
Agreement Between NPCIL and EDF of France
Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited  and Electricite de France  of France have on March 10, 2018 signed an Industrial Way Forward Agreement for implementation of six nuclear power reactor units at Jaitapur, Maharashtra with a total capacity of about 10,000 MW. The Evolutionary Pressurized Reactors  are evolutionary reactors, whose design has evolved from “KONVOI’ and “N4’ reactors which have been in operation in Germany and France respectively for about two decades. Further, the work at Jaitapur will be commenced only on demonstration of full power operation of Flamanville-3 under construction in France, as reference plant, to have an operationally proven technology.
There are currently four EPRs under construction viz. Olkiluoto-3 in Finland, Flamanville-3 in France and Taishan 1&2 in China. There have been reports that these reactors are delayed. There is delay in execution of the project and this is not attributable to the technology itself.
This was stated by the Union Minister of State  of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region , MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh, in written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID-19 Helplines for Mental Health Assistance
Centre for Psychosocial Support in Disaster Management, NIMHANS, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had initiated a nationwide toll free 24 x 7 helpline  on 29 March 2020 to address the mental health and psychosocial concern of the public during pandemic and lock down. As on 27 February 2021 this helpline has received 3,37,556 calls and provided 53,081 individuals with specific assistance/ interventions.
The other two Central Mental Health Institutions namely Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health , Tezpur and Central Institute of Psychiatry , Ranchi along with various States/UTs are now also on-board to extend such services in regional/ local languages. In addition, LGBRIMH, Tezpur has also started 2 more helplines for providing assistance in therapeutic counselling and psychotherapy.
A Mental Health Rehabilitation Helpline “KIRAN”  has been launched by Ministry for Social Justice and Empowerment. This toll-free helpline in 13 languages is operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The helpline is served by 660 clinical / rehabilitation psychologists and 668 psychiatrists. The objectives of the helpline are early screening; first aid; psychological support; distress management; mental well-being; preventing deviant behaviors; psychological crisis management and referral to mental health experts.
Various guidelines, advisories and advocacy material on mental health issues have been developed for different segments of the society, which may be accessed on the Ministry of Health and and Family Welfare website under “Behavioural Health – Psychosocial helpline” .
Institutions like All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare used social media platforms like Whatsapp during the COVID pandemic to provide the counselling to the caregivers of Children with communication disorders such as hard of hearing, intellectual disorder, cerebral palsy and multiple disabilities. Videos on counselling and other issues were also uploaded in the social media by the faculties. In social-media subtitles were also provided for the benefit of people with hearing problems.
NIMHANS, Bengaluru, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare had set up an exclusive isolation ward for people with mental illness and neurological problems who developed COVID-19 infection. This ward was set up on 13 July 2020. This ward  has served 72 patients. Whenever COVID-19 severity worsened they were referred to appropriate designated COVID-19 hospitals.
The Minister of State , Sh. Ashwini Kumar Choubey stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha here today.
Prime Minister's Office
Telephone conversation between Prime Minister and PM of Israel
Prime Minister had a telephone conversation today with His Excellency Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel.
The two leaders discussed the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the response strategies adopted by their respective Governments to the health crisis.
The leaders explored possible collaboration between India and Israel in fighting the pandemic, including by improving availability of pharmaceutical supplies and by innovative use of high technology. They agreed to maintain a focused channel of communication to explore such synergies.
H.E. Mr. Netanyahu agreed with the Prime Minister that the COVID-19 pandemic is an important turning point in modern history, and offers an opportunity to forge a new vision of globalisation focused on the shared interests of humanity as a whole.
Ministry of Culture
RARE RECOGNITION FOR TELUGU ARTIST SUDHEER
KALAMKARI HAND PAINTING ON DISPLAY AT RAJ PATH FOR REPUBLIC DAY CELEBRATIONS
Drenched in tradition and history, India’s varied folk art forms have narrated stories for centuries through vibrant visual representation and each one is culturally significant, few of such traditional art forms that were part of the process of scroll making in Kala Kumbh at Chitkara University, Rajpura, Punjab to be showcased on the Rajpath during the upcoming Republic day parade. In an open gallery at Rajpath, the National Gallery of Modern Art  will showcase gigantic scrolls, each over 750 metres long, painted by over 500 artists from across India.
The kalamkari art form is also on the list of selected prestigious art forms to be displayed on the day of Republic day. The kalamkari art created by Artist Sudheer from Kalahasthi in Andhra Pradesh will be on the scroll. Kalamkari is an ancient style of hand painting done on cotton or silk fabric with a bamboo pen, using natural dyes. The word Kalamkari is derived from a Persian word where ‘kalam ‘means pen and ‘kari’ refers to craftsmanship. This art involves 23 tedious steps of dyeing, bleaching, hand painting, block printing, starching, cleaning and more. Motifs drawn in Kalamkari spans from flowers, peacock, and paisleys to divine characters of Hindu epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana. Nowadays, this art is primarily done to create Kalamkari sarees.
Shri Sudheer is a traditional kalamkari artist who won several prestigious awards. He has completed Bachelor in Visual Arts  in painting from Kannada University, Hampi.
NITI Aayog
NITI Aayog and WFP to Launch Initiative on Mainstreaming Millets in Asia and Africa
NITI Aayog and the World Food Programme , India, will launch the ‘Mapping and Exchange of Good Practices’ initiative for mainstreaming millets in Asia and Africa on 19 July 2022 in a hybrid event.
NITI and WFP will prepare a compendium of good practices for scaling up the production and consumption of millets in India and abroad.
The event will be inaugurated by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery in the presence of Member Prof. Ramesh Chand and Adviser Dr Neelam Patel, WFP Representative and Country Director India Bishow Parajuli, National Rainfed Area Authority CEO Dr Ashok Dalwai, and Agriculture Ministry Joint Secretary Shubha Thakur.
Representatives from ICAR, Central and state government departments, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, industry, Central and state agriculture universities, FPOs, NGOs, start-ups, academic and research institutions, and international organizations such as the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics , Food Agriculture Organization , International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage , etc., will also participate in the event.
You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/31VHDK2bw6A
Ministry of Home Affairs
CAA RULES
The Citizenship  Act, 2019  has been notified on 12.12.2019 and has come into force w.e.f. 10.01.2020. The Committees on Subordinate Legislation, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have been requested to grant further extension of time upto 09.01.2022 to frame the rules under the Citizenship  Act, 2019.
This was stated by the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Nityanand Rai in a written reply to question in the Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Electronics & IT
IRDAI advises all Insurance companies for issuance of Digital Insurance Policies via DigiLocker
It will lead to better customer experience with faster claims processing and settlement, reduction in disputes and reduction in fraud
IRDAI  in a Circular dated 9th February, 2021, has advised all Insurance companies for issuance of Digital Insurance Policies via DigiLocker. The Circular states, "in order to promote the adoption of Digilocker in the insurance sector, the Authority advises all insurers to enable their IT systems to interact with Digilocker facility to enable policyholders to use digilocker for preserving all their policy documents."
The circular also mentions that the insurers should inform their retail policyholders about Digilocker and how to use it. Insurers are also advised to enable the process by which the policyholders can place their policies in the digilocker. Digilocker team in NeGD  under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology will provide necessary technical guidance and logistic support to facilitate adoption of Digilocker.
Digilocker is an initiative under the Digital India program by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology  Government of India where citizens can get authentic documents/ certificate in digital format from original issuers of these certificates. It aims at eliminating or minimising the use of physical documents and will enhance effectiveness of service delivery, making these hassle free and friendly for the citizens.
In the insurance sector, Digilocker will drive reduction in costs, elimination of customer complaints relating to non-delivery of policy copy, improved turn around time of insurance services, faster claims processing and settlement, reduction in disputes, reduction in fraud and improvement in customer contactability. On the whole it is expected that will lead to better customer experience.
The decision of IRDAI came in backdrop of a letter written by Shri Sanjay Dhotre, Minister of State for Electronics & IT, Communications and Human Resource Development, Government of India to Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs with regards to issuance of digital insurance policies to citizen's DigiLocker accounts. In the letter Shri Dhotre had requested Shri Thakur to advise an IRDAI to issue an advisory to all Insurance Companies to make available the digital Insurance policy of all policy holders via their DigiLocker account and acceptance of Digilocker issued documents as valid documents. This will provide an alternate channel to access and manage all their insurance policies in a safe and authentic manner and will be of a great value to their customers."
Insurance certificate is an important document for a citizen and his/ her family. Timely access to insurance certificates can be of critical importance. Thus, providing digital insurance certificates through DigiLocker would be of significant convenience to citizens.
RKJ/M
(Visitor Counter : 977
Cabinet
Cabinet approves MoU between India and Maldives on Cooperation in Sports and Youth Affairs
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, was apprised of a Memorandum of Understanding  signed between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment of the Republic of Maldives for cooperation in Sports and Youth Affairs. The MoU was signed on November, 2020.
Objectives
Bilateral exchange programmes in the field of sports and youth affairs between India and Maldives will help in expanding knowledge and expertise in the area of sports science, sports medicine, coaching techniques, participation in youth festivals and camps which would result in improvement in performance of our sportspersons in international tournaments and strengthening of bilateral relations between India and Maldives.
Benefits
Benefits arising from bilateral cooperation in the field of sports and youth affairs with Maldives would be equally applicable to all sportspersons irrespective or their caste, creed, region, religion and gender.
DS
(
Ministry of Defence
The City of Destiny Gearing Up to Host MILAN 2020
After successfully hosting the International Fleet Review  in Feb 2016, the City of Destiny Visakhapatnam is gearing up to host another International Naval event ‘MILAN’ in March 2020. With about two months to the mega event, the preparations were reviewed at the Eastern Naval Command  by Vice Admiral SN Ghormade, Chief of Staff ENC on 07 January 2020. The review meeting saw an overwhelming and positive response from the civil administrators and stakeholder organisations, with participation by Dr G. Srijana Commissioner GVMC, Shri Rajiv Kumar Meena, City Police Commissioner, Shri A Srinivas Secretary VMRDA, Shri RN Hari Krishna, Chief Mechanical Engineer VPT, representatives from HSL, HPCL, IOCL, EPCL, Coromandel Fertilizers Ltd and Senior Police Officers from Special Branch, Law & Order, and Traffic.
A detailed presentation to apprise the attendees of the planned activities of MILAN was conducted. Vice Admiral SN Ghormade has solicited wholehearted support and cooperation from the City Administration, Civic Bodies, Police Department and PSUs in co-hosting the multinational Naval event as was done during IFR in 2016. The review meeting was followed by site visits to various venues by the Nodal officers from the Navy and the attendees representing stakeholder organisations towards drawing out time bound action plans.
MILAN 2020 is a multilateral naval exercise aimed to enhance professional interaction between friendly foreign navies and learn from each other’s strengths and best practices in the maritime domain. The Exercise with the theme ‘Synergy Across the Seas’ would provide an excellent opportunity for Operational Commanders of friendly foreign navies to interact with each other in areas of mutual interest. Of the 41 navies invited, confirmations from over 30 navies have been received towards their participation in MILAN 2020.
Prime Minister's Office
Prime Minister’s telephone call with Rt. Hon. Sher Bahadur Deuba, Prime Minister of Nepal
Prime Minister’s telephone call with Rt. Hon. Sher Bahadur Deuba, Prime Minister of Nepal
(Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a telephone call to Rt. Hon. Sher Bahadur Deuba, Prime Minister of Nepal, today.
The Prime Minister conveyed condolences at the loss of life in Nepal due to recent widespread floods, and expressed readiness to provide all possible relief assistance.